Yukos Says Tax Ministry
Raises 2001 Back-Tax Bill

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Updated Sept. 3, 2004 8:53 a.m. ET

MOSCOW &ndash; Russia's Tax Ministry increased its back-tax bill for 2001 against oil giant OAO Yukos by some $700 million (&euro;575 million), bringing total claims against Russia's biggest oil producer to $7.4 billion, the company said Friday.

"It is getting difficult to surprise Yukos with new and baseless tax demands," said Yukos spokesman Hugo Erikssen, confirming that the company received the revised claim...